Luxury Hoteliers Magazine 4th Quarter 2017 | Page 53

For the first time, many of the experiential categories were voted for exclusively by members of SLH’s loyalty program, INVITED, and luxury travel agents. These included the Refinery New York (City Hotel of the Year), Baros Maldives (Resort Hotel of the Year) and Dormy House Hotel (Country House Hotel of the Year), which were then put forward for the ultimate accolade – Hotel of the Year. Meanwhile, immersive spa Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda, two Michelin-starred ABaC Restaurant & Hotel in Barcelona and 137 Pillars Suites Bangkok were all deemed by SLH guests and agents to have the best spa, restaurant and suites respectively, and CastaDiva Resort & Spa on Lake Como was voted Most Romantic Retreat. Member hotels were invited to enter the awards designed to applaud their own innovation and high levels of service: • akyra Manor Chiang Mai in Thailand received the Love of Local award based on its ‘give back’ policy, working with the local community not only to source products but also assisting local schools • Giovanni Sanchez, a waiter at The Arch London’s Hunter 486 restaurant was awarded the Hotel Hero award, thanks to his bespoke and consistent excellence, extensively acknowledged by both colleagues and guests ILHA 53